The final installment of the University of Houston-Downtown’s (UHD) President’s Lecture Series of the 2022-23 academic year: “A Conversation on Building a Holistic Approach to Student Success” with Dr. Harrison Keller, Commissioner, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB), and UHD President Loren J. Blanchard.

The event is at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, May 5, 2023. Followed by the ribbon cutting for UHD’s new Basic Needs Center at TDEXU Tour Room, Welcome Center, UHD. Parking in Visitor Parking Lot, 201 Girard Street, 77002.

Improving student success for low-income and first-generation college students can mean changing the trajectory of students’ lives and that of generations to come.

“Enhancing Student Success” is the first goal of UHD’s 2022-2027 Strategic Plan: A New Paradigm and the University’s number one priority. This conversation will explore what student success means for UHD and how THECB is propelling student success initiatives across the state with the Student Success Program Inventory, as part of its strategic plan, Building a Talent Strong Texas.

Currently, UHD is positioned to set a national standard in student success through its proactive measures to have a positive impact on first-generation, low-income students. The University boldly commits to doubling its six-year graduation rate to 60% by 2028, resulting in an additional 350 graduates each year. The University’s goal is to improve the socioeconomic mobility of its graduates as they become leaders in their professions and communities. UHD is ranked by the CollegeNET Social Mobility Index in the top 10% nationally and 15th in the state. The University’s aspirational goal is to ascend to the top 2% of universities nationwide in social mobility.

Drs. Keller and Blanchard will discuss how the THECB supports student success initiatives and UHD’s own holistic approach to ensuring student success.

Dr. Keller is a nationally recognized authority in improving student success for low-income and first-generation college students. He possesses more than 20 years of experience in education policy, administration, and fundraising.

Dr. Blanchard has served as UHD’s seventh president since March 2021.